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When a new language is added to your life, you develop a new sense of self.

～ Looking ahead to 2020 Tokyo Olympics ～～2020年 東京(とうきょう)オリンピックに向けて～

～ Looking ahead to 2020 Tokyo Olympics ～

Recently, for the first time in 56 years, Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The cities that have hosted the Olympics for more than two times in the past are as follows: Athens (1896 / 2004), Paris (1900 / 1924), Los Angeles (1932 / 1984), London (1908 / 1948 / 2012); and now Tokyo has been added to this prestigious list as the 5th member, and as the first city in Asia to achieve this feat. This calls for a celebration! // It is safe to say that “omotenashi” (a term expressing the spirit of Japanese selfless hospitality-which was used at the presentation event) has been heard round the world.

With this in mind, don’t you think it would be nice to watch the sports games in Japanese? We still have seven years to go; to that end, for those who are interested in Japan and/or are studying Japanese or already doing so and want to increase the proficiency even further… you still have enough time to prepare!

Having said this, at this time, we would like to introduce some useful expressions that you can use in cheering for the games.

【Expressions in sending hearty cheers to your team】

“Gambare!” (Break a leg! / Keep it up!)
“Katsuzo-!” (We are in it for the win!)
“Ike-!” (Go for it!)
“Iizo-!” (Now that’s how you do it!)
“Yaru ki wo dase-!” (Kick it up a notch!)

“Ometedou!” (Way to go!)
“Katta!” (They’ve done it!)
“Maketa!” (“And there goes the win; game over”)
“Zannen” (Bummer)
“Ii shiai datta” (Now that was a great game)【Expressions you can use upon meeting your favorite player】

“Dai fan desu!” (I’m your big fan! / I’m a big fan of yours!)
“Akushu shite kudasai!” (Allow me to shake your hand!)
“Sa-in onegaishimasu!” (Can I have your signature?)
“Isshou ni shashin wo tottemo iidesuka?” (Is it ok to take a photo together?)
Were there many phrases you already know?
Please try to use them! Watching the game while making the use of these expressions would make the whole experience even more fun!
Looking ahead to 2020, why don’t we start brushing up our Japanese language skills from now? And let’s make it a goal to cheer for our favorite country, teams and players in 2020 with Japanese friends and in the Japanese language.

The Olympics is the biggest sport event where people from all over the world get together in one place. Why don’t you use this opportunity, make the most of the Japanese language and the biggest sports event in the world, and tap yourself into the Japanese culture and also that of the world as a whole?